SHUSHA, Azerbaijan — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed President Donald Trump as a uniquely effective peacemaker whose fundamentally different approach to diplomacy proved decisive in securing the historic Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement and ushered in what he described as an unprecedented new era of U.S.-Azerbaijani relations.
Aliyev made the remarks Monday during the opening session of the 4th Shusha Global Media Forum, a major international gathering that brought together hundreds of journalists, media executives, policymakers, and other participants from more than 50 countries. Responding to a Breitbart News question about what distinguished Trump’s approach from previous administrations in bringing Azerbaijan and Armenia to a historic U.S.-brokered peace agreement reached at the White House last August, the Azerbaijani president credited Trump’s success to a fundamentally different approach to resolving long-running conflicts.
The Azerbaijani president argued that previous administrations spent nearly three decades pursuing policies that effectively froze the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict rather than resolving it, while Trump approached the conflict from an entirely different perspective.
Describing Trump as “a person who loves peace” who “sees peace as an opportunity,” Aliyev said Trump’s role proved decisive as Azerbaijan and Armenia reached the final stage of negotiations on a peace agreement. According to Aliyev, Trump and his team understood Azerbaijan’s concerns, worked to persuade Armenia that peace served both countries’ interests and ultimately “created such a framework that peace became possible.”
Aliyev pointed to the White House summit last August, where President Donald Trump hosted him and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as the leaders signed a Joint Declaration while the countries’ foreign ministers initialed the peace agreement. The agreement also established a joint United States-Azerbaijani working group tasked with implementing its provisions over the following six months, a process Aliyev said reflected the Trump administration’s commitment to seeing the agreement through.
Aliyev said the Trump administration followed through on the commitments made at the White House through the work of the joint implementation group. “For the first time in my experience, American officials kept their word so strictly,” he said.
Aliyev said the successful implementation paved the way for a broader Strategic Partnership Declaration between Washington and Baku, elevating United States-Azerbaijani relations to what he later described as an “unprecedented” level.
Reflecting on the strengthened relationship, he said, “This is amazing. This is unbelievable. This is something which we could only dream about,” saying the expanded partnership had opened a new chapter in cooperation between the United States and Azerbaijan.
Aliyev contrasted Trump’s approach with that of previous American administrations, saying they pursued policies that kept the conflict frozen rather than resolving it. By contrast, he said, the Trump administration viewed peace as an achievable objective and worked toward a lasting settlement instead of preserving the status quo.
Aliyev said that approach continued under the Biden administration. Recalling that then-Sen. Joe Biden supported sanctions against Azerbaijan, he said those earlier positions contributed to what he described as years of strained relations between Washington and Baku. Under Trump, by contrast, he said bilateral ties have reached their “peak” and an “unprecedented” level.
Aliyev said Trump’s approach to the South Caucasus reflected what he described as the president’s broader approach to international diplomacy. Calling Trump “a person who loves peace” and “sees peace as an opportunity,” Aliyev said those qualities define the president’s character, vision, and approach to resolving conflicts. He also pointed to Trump’s own assertion that he has helped resolve multiple international conflicts, saying Azerbaijan’s experience demonstrated how that approach translated into tangible diplomatic results.
Aliyev concluded by expressing gratitude to Trump and members of his team, including Steve Witkoff and Aryeh Lightstone, whom he credited with playing a crucial role alongside the president in helping bring peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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ARMNOC staff and athletes support detained President Tsarukyan
July 15 2026
ARMNOC staff and athletes support detained President Tsarukyan
The Armenian National Olympic Committee and Olympic medallist Arsen Julfalakyan have publicly condemned the arrest of the organisation’s president, warning of severe damage to the nation’s sporting and international standing.
The entire staff of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia has issued a statement expressing ‘deep concern and full support’ for their detained leader Gagik Tsarukyan. Placing themselves firmly beside Gagik Tsarukyan and his family, the organisation wished the 70-year-old a swift return to freedom, offering his relatives “strength, endurance, patience, and faith to overcome this ordeal.”
Tsarukyan, who has served as ARMNOC President since 2004, has been remanded in custody for two months amid sweeping fraud and money laundering allegations totalling $21 million.
In a message relayed from custody, Tsarukyan thanked the growing list of public figures supporting him. “Our people have great potential,” he stated. “We can straighten our backs, we can restore our self-confidence, and we have a lot to say to the world – whether in culture, science, or sport, in all fields.”
The heavy-handed nature of Tsarukyan’s arrest has drawn fierce criticism from across the sporting spectrum, notably from Olympic silver medallist and former world champion Greco-Roman wrestler, United World Wrestling Athletes Committee Chair Arsen Julfalakyan.
“What was done to Gagik Tsarukyan today is an atrocity,” Julfalakyan declared. He criticised the deployment of dozens of security personnel to apprehend a 70-year-old man who was alone and offering no resistance in his home, describing it as “the pinnacle of baseness” and an attempt by “weak, immoral individuals to mask their own insignificance with a show of force.”
However, most of the active athletes prefer to keep silence, distancing themselves from the political topics. Tsarukyan’s arrest is mainly described as a political move from the reigning government. During the recent parliamentary election campaign, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan explicitly threatened to arrest major opposition figures and systematically deprive them of their commercial assets.
This government pressure has intersected directly with sports administration. The state’s Investigative Committee recently sealed both the ARMNOC headquarters and the elite Olympavan sports complex. The closure occurred whilst prominent international athletes, including the United States national wrestling team and a former UFC champion, were actively using the high-performance training facilities.
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Armenian PM persecutes dissent as West turns blind eye – rights group
Nikol Pashinyan has created an “atmosphere of fear” by jailing opposition figures, the organization has said
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has created “an atmosphere of fear” through the “systematic” persecution of political opponents with the tacit backing of Western nations, a newly formed rights group has claimed, warning that any dissenting voice is now treated as an “enemy.”
Tensions have remained high since last month’s parliamentary election, in which Pashinyan’s pro-EU Civil Contract party won 49.74% of the vote, according to the Central Electoral Commission (CEC). At least seven opposition parties have petitioned the constitutional court to annul the results, alleging widespread electoral misconduct, while hundreds of protesters rallied outside the CEC headquarters.
On Monday, the Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons Subjected to Political Persecution – a watchdog established by lawyers, political activists, and several former officials – accused the government of waging a campaign to silence the opposition.
“Everything is being done to foster a climate of fear, isolate political and public figures, and attempt to decapitate the numerous opposition forces,” former MP and lawyer Elinar Vardanyan said. According to the committee, around half a dozen opposition politicians are either in custody or facing criminal prosecution.
“Anyone who holds a different point of view is regarded by the authorities not as an opponent, but as an enemy,” said Armenia’s first ombudswoman, Larisa Alaverdyan, who joined the group. Committee members argued that Pashinyan has been able to pursue the crackdown because he has effectively received a “carte blanche” from his Western backers.
“In pursuit of their own interests, Western institutions are not merely turning a blind eye to Pashinyan’s actions – they are, in effect, encouraging them,” political analyst Yervand Bozoyan said, accusing foreign governments and international organizations of being “silently complicit in the destruction of democracy” in Armenia.
Pashinyan has declared the opposition parties that entered parliament illegitimate and vowed to strip them of their political standing. He has also said his government intends to confiscate the assets of the leaders of the three largest opposition parties, adding that they “should be left hungry.”
Following those remarks, prosecutors opened a criminal case against former President Robert Kocharyan, leader of the Armenia Alliance, the third-largest parliamentary party. Another opposition leader, Samvel Karapetyan, has remained in custody since last year on charges of plotting a coup, which he denies.
About a month before the election, Pashinyan hosted an EU-Armenia summit and a meeting of the European Political Community (EPC), an EU-led forum launched in 2022 after the escalation of the Ukraine conflict. He has also pledged to deepen Armenia’s integration with the EU, despite the country’s continued reliance on trade with Russia and Moscow’s warnings that adopting EU standards could damage the South Caucasus nation’s economy.
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Statements Attributed to the OSCE Secretary General Constitute a Gross Violati
An audio recording has entered public circulation in which OSCE Secretary General Feridun H. Sinirlioğlu, believing he is speaking with the Prime Minister of Armenia, discusses matters related to the internal life of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church and the removal of the Catholicos of All Armenians.
In the published recording, statements are attributed to the OSCE Secretary General expressing willingness to support the replacement of the Catholicos of All Armenians. If the authenticity of the recording is confirmed, it raises serious questions regarding the impartiality and independence of the OSCE Secretary General, as well as his commitment to the core values of the organization.
It is clear that the election and tenure of the Catholicos of All Armenians are exclusively matters within the internal ecclesiastical and canonical jurisdiction of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church. These matters cannot be decided by any state authority, political force, foreign official, or international organization.
Therefore, steps taken by any authority to replace the head of the Church or to interfere in the internal life of the Church cannot be perceived as ordinary political discussion. Such actions strike a blow to the autonomy of the religious community and must be viewed as unacceptable external interference.
If the published recording is authentic and has not been significantly altered, the words attributed to the OSCE Secretary General create a strong impression that the organization’s highest official is ready to assist state authorities in replacing the leader of a religious community. Even if it is later claimed that the conversation was private or that the remarks had no practical consequences, this circumstance in itself does not dispel the reasonable doubts raised regarding impartiality and independence.
OSCE documents explicitly recognize freedom of religion or belief and the internal autonomy of religious communities. Principle VII of the 1975 Helsinki Final Act affirms respect for freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief.
Even more concrete is paragraph 16.4 of the 1989 Vienna Concluding Document, by which participating states committed to respect the right of religious communities to organize themselves according to their own hierarchical and institutional structure, as well as to select, appoint, and replace their personnel in accordance with their own requirements and standards. This provision effectively means that the selection or replacement of religious community leaders must be carried out in accordance with the internal rules of that specific community, rather than by an external political decision.
The same principles are reinforced in the 1990 Copenhagen Document and OSCE Ministerial Council Decision No. 3/13 on freedom of religion or belief.
The principle of autonomy for religious organizations is also enshrined in the case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. The Court has repeatedly emphasized that the autonomous existence of a religious community is an essential component of pluralism in a democratic society, and that the state must act as a neutral and impartial organizer in religious matters.
A state showing preference to any side in matters of religious community leadership, imposing a specific leadership on the community, or determining the outcome of an internal church dispute through political means contradicts the standards of religious freedom protected under Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
We expect the OSCE to provide an exhaustive and credible clarification regarding the published material, ensure an independent verification of the recording, and, if necessary, conduct an impartial investigation into the Secretary General’s conduct.
The reputation of the OSCE is built on human rights, freedom of religion, impartiality, and trust. Therefore, the willingness attributed to the organization’s highest official to facilitate the replacement of a religious community’s leader cannot remain unaddressed.
The internal life of the Holy Armenian Apostolic Church is not a field for political transactions or external interference. The election and tenure of its spiritual leader are matters of the canonical jurisdiction of the Armenian Church, and respecting this jurisdiction is not only an ecclesiastical requirement but also a fundamental standard of the international legal and democratic order.
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Armenian opposition figure claims government is establishing ‘neo-Turkic fasci
Armenian opposition politician Arman Abovyan accused the country’s leadership of establishing an authoritarian system and “neo-Turkic fascism” during a discussion marking the fourth death anniversary of producer Armen Grigoryan, who died in a courtroom while in custody.
Abovyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia Party, said Grigoryan’s case had become an early indication of the country’s shift toward authoritarian rule.
“The entire ordeal involving Armen unfolded before everyone’s eyes,” Abovyan said. “Even then, we were saying that an authoritarian system of governance was taking hold in the country.”
He argued that recent developments involving Prosperous Armenia leader Gagik Tsarukyan also reflected authoritarian practices. According to Abovyan, such practices include restrictions on freedom of _expression_, retaliation against people for expressing opinions or even liking social media posts, dismissals and imprisonment for free speech.
Abovyan also claimed Armenia has developed a distinct form of authoritarianism.
“Today, neo-Turkic fascism is taking shape in Armenia,” he said. “I say this without taking anything out of context, without exaggeration and without intending it as an insult. Such a system demands absolute conformity with the line set by the authorities. Anyone who steps outside that line is immediately subjected to persecution.”
He said Grigoryan’s case was the clearest example of that pattern.
“Yes, Armen was the first victim of neo-Turkic fascism,” Abovyan stated.
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Estonia helping Armenian local governments tackle corruption
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A First for the House of Windsor: Queen Elizabeth II’s Great-Nephew Announces
The British royal family may soon welcome its first member of Armenian heritage. Samuel Chatto, the grandson of Princess Margaret and great-nephew of Queen Elizabeth II, has announced his engagement to his longtime partner, British-Armenian artist Eleonora (Ellie) Exerdjian.
The couple shared the news on July 13, posting a series of black-and-white photographs on Instagram.
“With enormous joy, Ellie and I are excited to announce our engagement. We couldn’t be happier,” Samuel wrote.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed the engagement, saying both families were “absolutely delighted” by the news. According to the palace, King Charles III has personally congratulated the couple. Their wedding is scheduled to take place in spring 2027.
One detail that immediately caught the attention of the British press was the engagement ring. Rather than following centuries of royal tradition, Samuel opted for something entirely different.
While members of the House of Windsor have historically proposed with rings featuring large diamonds, sapphires, or pieces crafted from the family’s iconic Welsh gold, Samuel took a far more personal approach.
A professional sculptor and ceramic artist, he designed and handcrafted the ring himself using white porcelain. The minimalist piece features a smooth band accented with an abstract textured finish. According to jewelry experts, porcelain symbolizes enduring love, resilience, and longevity.
Although Eleonora Exerdjian was born and raised in the United Kingdom, she has long maintained a strong connection to her Armenian heritage. In 2022, she visited Armenia for the first time while working on her debut film, Imagined Landscapes. Earlier this year, she presented her solo exhibition, We Are Our Mountains, in London, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of both Armenia and Britain.
It is perhaps no coincidence that one of the photographs announcing the engagement was taken in a photo booth in Yerevan.
Both Samuel and Eleonora are 29 years old. They met while studying History of Art at the University of Edinburgh and have been together since 2021. They now live in London, where Samuel works as a ceramic artist and Eleonora pursues her career as a painter. Although Samuel Chatto does not carry out official royal duties, he regularly attends major events involving the British royal family.
The timing of the announcement also drew attention. The engagement was revealed on July 13, exactly 79 years after Buckingham Palace announced the engagement of the future Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. British media were quick to point out the historical coincidence.
If the wedding takes place as planned in spring 2027, Eleonora Exerdjian will become the first woman of Armenian descent to marry into the House of Windsor.
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Turkish Press: Azerbaijan at ‘real peace’ with Armenia but demands constituti
Azerbaijan and Armenia are at “real peace” and rebuilding trade links after decades of conflict, a senior Azerbaijani official has said, but Baku is insisting on changes to Armenia’s constitution before a final deal can be signed.
In an interview with Reuters on the sidelines of a forum in the city of Shusha this week, Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to Azerbaijan’s president and head of the president’s foreign policy department, praised the countries’ progress towards peace, including growing direct contacts and bilateral trade.
“We are living in conditions of real peace. For Azerbaijan and Armenia, peace is not just something written on paper or contained in a declaration — it is a reality,” he said, pointing to increased supplies of Azerbaijani oil products to Armenia.
Despite the progress, he said Baku maintained its stance on Armenia’s constitution.
“The form of constitutional changes is Armenia’s internal matter,” said Hajiyev.
“What is important for Azerbaijan is that the provisions we regard as territorial claims against our country are formally removed, whether through the adoption of a new constitution or another legal mechanism.”
“Once that issue is resolved, we believe there will be no obstacles to signing the final peace agreement,” he said.
‘Serious and positive signals’
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said he wants to hold a referendum to change the constitution and that a draft of the new charter will be published by the end of this year.
But his Civil Contract party lacks the constitutional majority in parliament needed to call the referendum, and it is unclear whether the opposition will join him.
Hajiyev said publication of the draft alone would not be sufficient to sign a peace deal.
He also said Azerbaijan had received “serious and positive signals” from the United States that construction work on a planned Washington-backed transport corridor in the region could begin this autumn.
The proposed 43-kilometre corridor would cut across Armenia and give Azerbaijan direct access to its exclave of Nakhchivan and to Türkiye.
The route would better connect Asia to Europe at a time when Washington wants to diversify energy and trade flows away from Russia because of the war in Ukraine.
“Our position is that this should be implemented as soon as possible,” Hajiyev said.
He said infrastructure extending to Azerbaijan’s southwestern Zangilan region would be largely completed by the end of 2026, after which it could be connected to planned infrastructure in Armenia and Türkiye.
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Armenian court orders opposition figure Tsarukyan’s cement plant be placed un
Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Court has ordered billionaire and opposition figure Gagik Tsarukyan’s Ararat Cement plant be placed under state management, and the prosecution is seeking the confiscation of other properties, assets, and cash belonging to Tsarukyan. The move comes days after Tsarukyan was arrested on money laundering charges and a number of his businesses and properties, including the cement plant, were raided.
Earlier in July, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said ‘Ararat Cement will very soon become state-owned, and a manager will be appointed according to the established procedure’. He did not specify a timetable at the time.
It was not the first time Pashinyan had discussed nationalising the plant — prior to the parliamentary elections on 7 June, he described the factory as the ‘backbone’ of Tsarukyan’s business empire and alleged irregularities had occurred in its privatisation in the early 2000s.
The Anti-Corruption Court’s decision on Thursday granted a petition filed three days earlier by the Prosecutor General’s Office to confiscate the plant on the grounds it had been illegally acquired.
The prosecution is also seeking the confiscation of 75 properties belonging to Tsarukyan, 42 vehicles, shares in 38 legal entities, and just shy of ֏106 billion ($289 million) in funds.
Gagik Tsarukyan campaigning in the Tavush region of Armenia in May 2026. Photo via social media.
Tsarukyan has been under investigation since 9 June, a mere two days after Armenians took to the polls to vote in parliamentary elections.
At the time, Prosperous Armenia was still awaiting the outcome of vote recounts which would have determined whether it entered parliament. The Central Election Commission (CEC) later announced that the opposition party failed to pass the 4% electoral threshold to secure seats in the legislature.
Tsarukyan had apparently attempted to leave the country through Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport before being placed under investigation, but was barred from doing so.
Tsarukyan is one of the wealthiest men in Armenian politics. Having begun his business career in food processing during the 1990s, over three decades he has amassed a stake in a wide variety of industries throughout Armenia, including alcohol and food production, casinos, hotels, mineral extraction, pharmaceuticals, and most recently, bitcoin mining.
The eccentric tycoon has previously been charged with a number of crimes. In 2020, the authorities accused him of electoral bribery allegedly committed in the 2017 elections. He was also under investigation for operating the Shangri La casino without a license. Armenia revoked the Shangri La’s license in late June.
Additionally, Tsarukyan was sentenced to seven years in prison for raping two women in 1979. According to RFE/RL, it is not clear whether Tsarukyan served the sentence imposed by the Soviet-era court.
In 2001, during Robert Kocharyan’s presidency, the Armenian Court of Cassation overturned the verdict, exonerating Tsarukyan.
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Armenia begins printing new biometric passports amid design and birthplace con
Armenian authorities have announced the start of large-scale printing of the country’s new biometric passports, which are expected to become available by autumn. While officials say the documents meet international security standards, both their design and the way they record the birthplaces of people born in Nagorno-Karabakh have sparked controversy.
The announcement was made by Interior Minister Arpine Sargsyan, who shared a video on social media showing the first sample of the new passport and described it as ‘one of the world’s most secure documents’.
According to authorities, the new passports will improve document security, facilitate border crossings, and contribute to the free movement of Armenian citizens, including as part of Armenia’s visa liberalisation process with the EU, which has been underway since September 2024.
The passports feature enhanced security mechanisms, including ultraviolet protection layers. When the pages are flipped quickly under ultraviolet light, the hidden security features form the image of a flying dove, symbolising peace.
The design of the new passports was unveiled in late April during a meeting between Sargsyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. One of the most noticeable changes is the cover, which has been changed from blue to red ‘because this colour is one of the most widely used shades internationally’, including among EU member states.
Unlike the current passports, which primarily feature the Armenian coat of arms, the new design incorporates illustrations intended to reflect Armenian identity, the country’s historical, spiritual, and cultural heritage, symbols of statehood, the Armenian alphabet, and a map of the country.
The illustrations, however, quickly became the subject of public debate.
One of the most criticised images depicts the Khor Virap monastery without its iconic backdrop of Mount Ararat. Instead, the illustration shows mountain ranges located within Armenia. The choice of angle prompted widespread criticism, as Khor Virap is closely associated with panoramic views of Mount Ararat, which despite being located in present-day Turkey, has remained one of the most enduring symbols of Armenian national identity.
The criticism also acquired political overtones. Pashinyan’s government has stepped up efforts to normalise relations with Turkey and has increasingly emphasised focusing on Armenia’s internationally recognised territory, with his government appearing to seek to replace Ararat with Armenia’s highest peak, Mount Aragats, in its official symbolism.
Khor Virap monastery illustration for Armenian new biometric passports. Official photo. The baking of traditional lavash bread illustration for Armenian new biometric passports. Official photo.
Another illustration that attracted attention depicts the baking of traditional lavash bread. It also became the subject of ridicule online after users pointed to what appeared to be a piece of dough placed directly on the ground rather than on a tray, fuelling further speculation that the images had been generated using AI.
Alongside the introduction of the new biometric passports, authorities have also announced plans to introduce automatic, contactless border crossing systems, which they say ‘will significantly facilitate and accelerate the movement of citizens’.
The passports are being printed in the Netherlands by IN Groupe, while the first batch of new ID cards has already arrived in Armenia. Existing passports will remain valid until their expiration unless citizens choose to replace them.
Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians’ birthplace in new passports listed as Azerbaijan
The rollout of the new passports has also revived long-standing controversy over how the birthplace of people born in Nagorno-Karabakh is recorded.
The Armenian authorities had already announced that the new passports would comply with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) standards, meaning place names are recorded according to internationally recognised geographical designations.
For people born in Nagorno-Karabakh, this means their country of birth is expected to be listed as Azerbaijan.
The issue has remained highly controversial among many refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, who object to having Azerbaijan listed as their birthplace. The confusion has been compounded by inconsistencies in previously issued passports, with people born in the same settlement receiving different birthplace designations — including Azerbaijan, Armenia or simply the name of their town or village.
RFE/RL reported in March 2021, citing Armenian authorities, that Armenia had generally listed the birthplace of people born in the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic as Azerbaijan since 1994 because it was how it appeared on Soviet birth certificates.
Although officials also allowed citizens, upon request, to instead have Armenia listed in their passports, the ministry acknowledged that this had no legal basis, and later created administrative and legal complications because passports no longer matched birth certificates.
For people born after 1991, passport authorities rely solely on birth certificates. Since these typically list the place of birth as ‘Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic’, their passports have generally recorded the country of birth as Armenia.
In April 2025, CivilNet reported that the Migration and Citizenship Service said people born in Nagorno-Karabakh could request that a specific locality from their birth certificate — such as their city, town, district, or village — be entered in the place-of-birth field instead of Azerbaijan. However, officials warned that such a designation could create difficulties at international border crossings.
The authorities say the new biometric passports are intended to fully comply with ICAO standards, including in the way geographical names are recorded.
For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.
https://oc-media.org/armenia-begins-printing-new-biometric-passports-amid-design-and-birthplace-controversy/
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